Olga Abinader Guests on ‘Latinos Who Thrive’ Podcast
August 2024
Florham Park, NJ – Olga Abinader, Director of Environmental Review and Land Use Planning, (Matrix) was featured on ‘Latinos Who Thrive’ hosted by Victor Escalante.
Abinader joined Escalante to discuss her experience as a Latina growing up in the United States. She highlights what it was like coming to this country as a little girl.
“It was okay to be imperfect, it was okay to fall down, as long as you know how to get up again.”
This became her philosophy that led to the many opportunities and success she has enjoyed!
She acknowledged Matrix’s commitment to embracing diversity and entrepreneurship. Abinader has solidified her status as a role model in the LatinX community by building an illustrious career. She also gives some guidance to those who are forging their own paths.
Abinader emphasizes that representation matters. Upon reflection of her younger self, she takes her own past experiences and advises other young women to “be fearless. Take the risk. To not have the regret that they were too shy or too scared or thought that you weren’t right for taking that new role or new position…your opinion matters and your experience is so rich; so, go for it and be unafraid.”
In regard to finding her place in the corporate world, she states she used her differences to make herself invaluable. “Taking what could be seen as a disadvantage and using it as my superpower.” In the public sector, being bilingual made her an extraordinary addition to any team.
According to Jayne Warne, PE, President, “Olga is the embodiment of a female leader in the STEM community. She is both tenacious and compassionate and that combination makes her a role model.”
To listen to the segment, please click here: https://apple.co/4dDZyke
About Olga Abinader
Olga Abinader, ENV SP, is the Director of Environmental Review at Matrix’s New York city office. Born in the Dominican Republic, Abinader emigrated with her family to Salem, Massachusetts in the early 1990s. Her family maintained strong connections to their Caribbean heritage by speaking only Spanish at home. As a fully bilingual English and Spanish speaker, Abinader translated for family and friends who had limited English skills. In 1999, Abinader assumed a leadership role in the “La Union Latina” organization, established in 1987 at Salem High School to celebrate Latin-American culture and traditions. In 2007, Hispanic Business Inc. recognized Abinader as a Winner’s Circle Scholar at the Hispanic Business’ annual Woman of the Year Awards event.
As the former Director of the Environmental Assessment and Review Division with the NYC Department of City Planning, Abinader led hundreds of active City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) applications to support transit-oriented growth, housing production and affordability, economic development and resilient and sustainable communities across NYC. Abinader received her Master of Urban Planning from Harvard University, Graduate School of Design, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from Brown University.
Over the course of her career, Abinader has been honored with numerous speaking engagements, awards, and recognitions, including: Guest Speaker on the ¿Que Pasa, NJ? PBS Talk Show (2022), LatinX Podcast with Randy Gomez (2022), and ‘The RNJ Morning Program’ with Host Bert Baron; the Manager of the Year Award (Joe Salvo Award) at the New York City Department of City Planning, New York, NY (2019); Scholarship Honor and Guest Speaker at the 5th Annual Hispanic Business Woman of the Year Awards, Las Vegas, Nevada (2007); Panelist Speaker at the New Jersey Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, The Art of Being a Modern Latina Event, Lyndhurst, New Jersey (2022); and Podcast Guest and Committee Member for the “Today Is The Day Changemakers” organization, a global digital platform for leaders making a significant positive societal impact (2022).
Abinader was recognized by Crain’s New York Business as a ‘2022 Notable Hispanic Leader’ Honoree.
In 2023, Abinader was appointed to the Brown University Advisory Council for the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society (IBES). Founded in 2014, IBES is a thriving interdisciplinary Institute for climate, sustainability, and environmental education and research, achieving national and international stature as one of the top programs of its kind.
About Matrix New World Engineering
Matrix New World Engineering is a company of engineering and science experts who focus on some of the nation’s most pressing long-term challenges, including climate change, resiliency, ecological restoration, contamination studies, water supply, disaster response, and urban revitalization. Matrix believes solving environmental challenges through careful planning and engineering is an indispensable measure of success.
Matrix has offices in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Arizona, Louisiana, and Chicago, coupled with project experience throughout the United States and the Caribbean.
